Published Paper Details:

This paper examines reasons behind the failure of justice and police sector reform in Afghanistan in the decade of 2001-2021 which did not manage to set up strong independent judiciary and law enforcement systems. The findings show that from the outset donor countries allocated resources to the military sector to the detriment of the justice and police sectors, resulting in chronic underfunding, weak infrastructure and untrained personnel. With rising insecurity, the police became more and more militarized, pulling them away from their core mandate of policing. Reforms to professionalize the force post-2013 were undercut by declining aid and deteriorating security. Continued corruption, a lack of coordination between donors, the capture of justice institutions by warlords and poor coordination between agencies further undermined public confidence and pushed Afghans into traditional dispute resolution mechanisms and, in contested areas, Taliban shadow courts.